


Anomaly

by CurlyCue



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, S5E14 "The Devil Complex", You/your pronouns, also this is written in present tense, and is not named or given a specific gender, anyway, except Framework Fitz is actually an anomaly but yknow, the reader is an inhuman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 11:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19172050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CurlyCue/pseuds/CurlyCue
Summary: Reader is an Inhuman with the ability to manipulate energy-- kinetic, gravitational, thermal, you name it-- and the anomalies that plague the team in season 5 are made up of energy. I'll let you connect the dots.





	Anomaly

**Author's Note:**

> This is an alternate event which begins at about... 14 minutes and 17 seconds into season 5, episode 14 of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., "The Devil Complex".

You can feel it: you can _feel_ the energy making its way there-- to the main floor of the base, the level with all the monitors. The same strange, undeniably alien energy that worms its way through the tear in space-time, the same energy that makes up all of these horrible anomalies, and it’s _moving,_ through the halls like a person, which means it is an anomaly; pure energy moves passively, as it pleases, through anything and everything, any which way, but this? This Danger Ball concentration of fear is winding its way through the halls and up the stairs the same way your agents do, which means it’s taken a more physical form than can move through objects. Which means your team is in danger.

So you run. 

It’s barely even a minute before you’re on the right level-- it would normally take longer, but you’ve been redirecting all sorts of ambient energies in your vicinity into your body, transforming it into kinetic, gravitational, and elastic energy as needed so your steps go further, land more forcefully, and kick off more powerfully. Your heart is nearly hammering out of your chest as the walls speed past you, but you’re powerful: you can take it. 

What you can’t take is the sound of the gunshot and Simmons’ scream as you round the corner and see two Fitzes in the control room, one of them absolutely _radiating_ alien energy. As the primal fear settles into your bones, you lift a hand to your head, grimacing at the electricity buzzing and crackling in your skull. A downside to being aware of all sorts of energy is that, being what’s essentially an Inhuman dowsing rod, you’re pretty sensitive to the types you’re not accustomed to-- especially in large concentrations like this, and in such close range.

Through the ringing in your head and the blasting bass of your heartbeat, you hear the Faux Fitz say something that makes your blood boil. “You can’t escape me… _Fitz.”_ And even though it's his name too, the sounds come off his tongue like venom, clunky and unfamiliar and nothing you would ever associate with the Fitz you know. The sound of it only steels you further, and reminds you that no matter how it looks, this isn't Fitz: it can walk like a duck and talk like a duck all it wants, but as far as you're concerned, it'll only ever be a quack doctor compared to the real thing.

And despite the strain it'll put on you, you know you have to protect him, so you throw a hand up in front of you and clench it hard enough to make your knuckles go white with the pressure, powering through the pain with a low growl and relishing in the way the two doctors turn their attention to you. Your Fitz’s jaw drops open just a fraction and mouths what looks like it could be your name, his expression changing from vulnerable fright to shock in the same moment as the anomaly’s expression hardens. 

_“You,”_ it snarls, just in time for its form to waver. 

You watch as it glitches, your power causing its form to flicker between Fitz’s profile and a static blue-grey silhouette; you’re beginning to feel a bit lightheaded here, but it’s worth it to watch as it glances down at its flickering hands and snarls, lunging forward as if to throw itself back up the stairs and attack you. Fortunately, the real Fitz-- _your_ Fitz-- has finally gotten himself together enough to grab up the nearest handheld item-- some sort of little metal device, it looks like-- and lunges forward just a step behind his double, managing to hit it over the head when it’s just inches away from your trembling fingers. 

As the anomaly dissipates into mist and transforms into other types of energy, making itself a part of the atmosphere, the quiet rings almost as loudly in your ears as the actual ringing in your ears. Over it, you can hear the both of you panting in exertion-- you’re so tired, and it aches, and you swear you’ve just closed your eyes for a second to focus on your breathing when all of a sudden you’re falling to your knees, collapsing to the floor, and you can hear Fitz’s concerned yelling but everything sounds like it’s underwater. Unbeknownst to you, trails of blood slowly make their way down your skin, out of your ears and nose, dripping onto the floor, and your heart still hammers away, increasing in speed. 

You feel like you’ve just run a marathon, you’re so tired… maybe some sleep will do you some good. 

_Yeah,_ you think. _Sleep._

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you guys think of the quack doctor joke?
> 
> Oh, and also about the ending? Poor reader. >:3


End file.
